Short Message Service (“SMS”) is a widespread standard for text-based communication. SMS communication uses text messages, each of up to 160 text characters in length, which are sent to a particular target address, such as a phone number associated with a mobile phone. Devices and services other than mobile phones are also capable of sending and receiving SMS messages. Additionally, SMS messages may be sent by broadcast to a number of recipients. SMS messages are used for a variety of purposes, including personal communication, social media, news, advertising and alerts.
SMS providers offer services for the delivery of SMS messages, such as to mobile devices connected to cellular networks. Examples SMS providers include MX Telecom and OpenMarket. For example, an SMS provider may provide services for bulk, recurring and/or automated delivery of SMS messages. SMS providers may act as SMS gateways, allowing services and systems other than mobile phones to send SMS messages to mobile phones. For example, an SMS provider may allow its customers to communicate with it over an electronic network in order to submit requests for the delivery of SMS messages.
The final step in SMS delivery to some mobile phones involves the transmission of the SMS message from a cellular tower on a mobile network to which the mobile phone is connected. Therefore, the ability to send SMS messages to many different mobile phones may involve communication with each of the mobile phones' respective mobile carriers. An SMS provider may act an aggregator where the SMS provider has contracts with a number of mobile carriers. The SMS provider may have access to each contracted mobile carrier's SMS Center, which allows the SMS provider to send and/or receive SMS traffic into and out of the mobile carrier's network. An SMS provider may then sell services which allow its customers to send SMS messages to mobile phones on a variety of networks through a single contract with the SMS provider.
Often, an SMS provider's involvement with SMS delivery ends at the SMS provider's interface with a mobile carrier. The SMS provider may be unable to track whether an SMS message that it sends to the mobile carrier is ultimately received by the intended mobile device recipient, and if so, what latency was associated with the SMS transmission. As this quality of service information may be unavailable to the SMS provider, the SMS provider may be unable to provide quality of service information to its customers. A customer may wish to know the quality of the service that it is paying an SMS provider for. For example, by comparing quality of service information for different SMS providers, customers may be able to make more informed decisions in their selection of SMS providers.